"This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.'"

—Zechariah 7:9 (NIV)

Have you considered the fact that a nation committed to justice for all is a nation that God can bless? God is passionate about justice because it is in accordance with His nature to be just in all His dealings. When nations base their laws and institutions on principles of justice for all, the God of justice is pleased.

Of course, this means that the contrary is true as well. When injustice creeps in, it brings with it the displeasure of God. God especially seems to look out for the welfare of those whom society overlooks: the poor, the less privileged, the stranger and the outcast. The nation that wants the blessing of God will ensure justice for all.

Thank the Lord that He is a God of justice and shows no favoritism.

Pray for our judicial system and lawmakers, that justice for all, tempered by mercy and compassion, will guide our nation.

DAILY PRAYER

I thank You, Lord, that You are perfectly just in all Your ways. You deal with us impartially, imparting justice while showing mercy and compassion. Help us to be like You in this way. Help us as a nation to offer justice to all and not discriminate in the way that justice is administered. I pray for the judicial system of this nation. Restore godliness to our courts. May a river of righteousness sweep across our nation.

"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you."

—Deut. 3:22 (NIV)

Fear can paralyze a nation, or it can cause its people to react in inappropriate ways. In Deuteronomy 3:22, God gives us a direct command when we face our enemies: "Do not be afraid of them" (NIV). We don't have to give in to fear. God promises to fight on our behalf—when a nation has committed itself to honor Him and follow His ways.

Ask the Lord to pour out a spirit of repentance on our nation.

Ask the Lord to help the United States to line up with His purposes so that He will choose to fight on our behalf.

DAILY PRAYER

Father, we turn from fear and turn to You. We indeed have enemies as a nation who seek our destruction. We have attempted to stand against them in our own strength, all the while rejecting Your lordship over us. Forgive us, Lord. Heal our land. Help us to turn back to You, so that You will fight for us.

Ultimately, a nation that has learned to wait upon the Lord is a nation that has renewed its hope. No longer rushing about in response to the latest poll or whim, there is a dependence upon the Word of God and eternal matters. A sense of the solid and the stable replaces the fleeting fancies of our current status. Hope is removed from being a campaign slogan to being a lifestyle that centers on the Word of God. Pray for the church in America to begin to model the stable lifestyle of waiting on the Lord.

Pray for a movement of the Spirit that creates a dramatic cultural transformation in the United States

Pray that our nation would find its hope in the Word of God.

DAILY PRAYER

Lord, it isn't easy to wait. Forgive me for not waiting on You and for running ahead to do those things that seem good to me. Teach Your church to be a good model of those who don't rush into every trend or fashion but who have learned to wait upon You. Lord, show us how waiting on You isn't an activity, but rather an active lifestyle of drawing near and of keeping our eyes upon You. May You so transform Your church that it flows over into the life of this nation. Slow us down, Lord. Teach us to wait on You, so that Your purposes and plans might be lived out in America.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

—1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)

Same-sex marriage has been a hot-button issue for years now, yet only in recent years has the debate concluded with laws being changed. As of November 7, 2012, nine of the 50 states in the U.S. have legalized same-sex marriage, and gay-rights advocates continue to push for laws to make it legal nationally.

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, along with other Scriptures (e.g., Deut. 23:17), clearly state God's position on the issue, which is not open for interpretation. God defines marriage as being between one man and one woman—period. It's unfortunate that even those within the church claim otherwise, yet believers must stand firm on biblical standards while also walking in love and compassion for those struggling with same-sex attraction. We must also pray in unity for our nation's leaders not to be intimidated by activists trying to redefine the fundamental building block of our society.

Pray that Jesus convicts the hearts of those in the homosexual community and helps them escape from that lifestyle—and that believers will love them into the kingdom instead of condemning them.

Pray that advocates of traditional marriage are able to witness effectively to those who support same-sex marriage with Jesus' love and kind words.

Pray that the hearts of our country's leaders are convicted and that they come to realize that God's truth must be our standard, not a minority's agenda.

DAILY PRAYER

Lord, we repent of our wicked ways as a nation when it comes to distorting your definition of marriage. Cleanse us from our unrighteousness. Help us as believers to walk in Your love, even when our biblical values oppose others. Forgive us for when we have judged the sinner and not the sin, and give us strength to stand up for Your truth.

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

—Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)

The church must emulate Jesus, who always sought out the least and the lowest. If we listen to Isaiah and seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow, we would be thought of in a much better way in our society. We might not have such nice buildings or such fancy programs, but our reputation would surely be better. And our nation would be changed!

Ask the Lord to show you those who are hurting and need you to reach out to them with the love of Jesus. Pray for a spirit of compassion to come over the church in the U.S. so that we will begin seriously to live out the lifestyle of Jesus in our communities.

Ask Him for the strength of His Holy Spirit to enable you to obey His Word.

Pray for a fresh wave of the fear of the Lord to fall upon the church in America.

DAILY PRAYER

Lord, forgive us. We have so often made church about us and our needs and wants. In the process we have ignored those who were hurting right down the street from our buildings. Please help us to see people, really see them, as You do.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

—Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Many have referred to the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus' manifesto for kingdom living. It certainly is a call to a radical lifestyle such as the world has never seen. It covers most of the major areas of life and brings everything under the Lordship of Jesus. One of the best known and most powerful statements is our scripture above.

In a culture that continually strives for more and more, these are radical words. Rather than focusing on our clothes, food or shelter, Jesus said our focus must be on the things of God. With a proper focus on God's kingdom, we will live in a nation that can care for those who are hurting and still have abundance. This won't happen because the government has mandated it, but because we are seeking first that which is eternal and are then content to allow the Lord to provide everything else we need.

Pray for a right focus in America—back to God and away from material things.

Pray for the church to be the hands and feet of Christ as we minister to those in need, both spiritually and materially.

Pray for a spirit of seeking God first to pervade the church in America.

DAILY PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I commit myself this day to seeking Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. With all that is in me, I long to experience Your rule over my life. May that same desire permeate the church in America. Give us seeking hearts that will not be content with anything less than You and Your Kingdom in our lives. With that firmly in place, help us to trust You to provide for us in every way. Help our nation to be set free from a grasping materialism that is never satisfied and never secure. May our national motto: "In God we trust" become a way of life for America.

What are we seeking as a nation? God or gold? We've often been known as a nation interested more in money and things than in God and people. This attitude has infected the church as well as the nation. Undoubtedly, the love of money is a major idol in the U.S. standing in the way of another great move of God in our midst.

Ask the Lord to reveal clearly to you where your treasure is.

Pray that you would be responsible with the treasure that God has entrusted you with.

DAILY PRAYER

In Jesus' name, tear down the idol of Mammon (money) that has taken up residence in America. Lord, help Americans to be good stewards over the money you have given us.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

—Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Our nation doesn't know it, but America needs the church. Not just as a bunch of good-deed doers, but as those who give direction for the future and who preserve and protect in the present. We've not done this well, but that is the place in which God has put us. We are to be light, helping people (and nations) avoid the pitfalls of darkness. We are to be salt, both as seasoning and protection for our society.

The nation cannot afford a sidelined church, taken out by worldliness and confusion. Paul commands us to allow ourselves no longer to be conformed by worldly patterns, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Only then we will understand the will of God, not just for our own lives, but so that we can be a prophetic voice to our nation.

Repent of the church's failure to be light and salt in our society.

Pray for a transformation in the church through a renewing of our minds.

Ask the Lord for the church to rise up with a strong prophetic voice for America.

DAILY PRAYER

Lord, forgive Your church for allowing worldliness to overshadow Your light. We pray that Your transforming power would saturate our culture and renew minds. We ask that the church would rightly take her place and be the voice of Your truth that our nation so desperately needs to hear.